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A Heart for Teaching
by Lynda Sappington
Teachers are such exceptional people, and those who work with special needs children aren't just "special," they're extraordinary. I met such a person at an art show recently held at the Preble County Art Association in Eaton, Ohio.
Multi-media artist Karla Neer Hoying teaches children who are emotionally, intellectually and educationally handicapped. Through art, these children, who range in age from second graders through high school seniors, are able to express their deepest feelings. Loneliness, rage, hope all shine through their artwork.
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When I first saw the work by Karla's students, I was unaware they were children's creations. Some pieces do show the immature motor skills of a child, but some are so powerful and so beautifully presented, I was certain they were by adult artists. For example, "The King and I" looks like a designer original that would be at home in a high-priced lawyer's office. But the face is a life mask of the child who made the piece, a child in an institution who is breaking free via his artwork. The Egyptian headdress is made of foamboard. The presentation is elegant and mature.
"Seneca Indian Masks" is actually made out of paper towels, amazingly enough. The masks were made by 5th and 6th grade children. This piece has won numerous prizes in local, regional and statewide competitions. People who see the piece are always drawn to touch it, wondering what it is made of. When I first saw it across the length of the gallery, I thought it was made of suede. Even up close, the truth of the paper towels is hidden in the elegance of the design. Towels were twisted and braided to create the facial features of the masks. Karla has promised to supply a "how to" article for ARTFaces | ARTPlaces new ARTKids gallery, where more of her students' work will be on display.
Besides the normal art supplies, Karla's home studio contains bones of alligators, deer, turtle shells and cow skulls mixed in with dried flowers, gourds, slate, shells and rocks. She encourages visitors to touch and examine these items closely, because they reflect the reality of the world.
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A fine artist as well as a commercial artist, her heart is in teaching. "If I can enable a student to put down their ideas and emotions through an art medium and be successful in that adventure," Karla says, "it is, for me, the same as creating my own masterpiece. The feeling of fulfillment and success is the same, yet instead of creating cash awards, I know there is an inner healing and an awakening in my students. That's the real payoff. To find out who we really are and to become one step closer to the person we all need to become. That is what our journey is all about."
Karla believes "art is a place in the creating process where our mental, physical and spiritual being come together in unison. When this happens, great artwork is produced." She has found that "art has great therapeutic healing properties for the old and young alike." She isn't concerned with the popularity of a work. Rather, she feels she's successful if it strikes an emotion, making the viewer "feel" rather than being "just an onlooker."
"To become an artist, you must be able to see what others overlook or take for granted," Karla says. She was fortunate as a child to have parents who taught her how to truly see the world around her. Her rural school district did not provide art classes until her senior year, when the state of Ohio passed a law requiring public schools to teach art. Karla was able to take one art class, where her teacher, Mrs. Sheldon, encouraged Karla to pursue her artistic talent. Because of the lack of art education in her community when she was growing up, Karla has brought art to her community, especially to the children who are lucky enough to cross her path.
Karla was trained through the Ringling School of Art, Bluffton College, St. Francis College, Riverbend Art Center in Dayton, Ohio, Arrowmont School of Art and Touchstone Studio. She has studied under nationally and internationally known artists such as Frank Liligrin, Rebecca Laskin, Norm Dobbs and Chapman. She was hired by the Marsh Foundation in Van Wert, Ohio, to set up and run a specialized art program for emotionally and educationally handicapped children. She has taught at the Foundation for nine years, as well as teaching private lessons in her home studio and giving workshops to Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Vacation Bible Schools. She has been a free-lance artist both commercially and in the fine arts for 22 years.